Two charged in catalytic converter thefts

An alert Oak Park man helped police catch two Detroit teens suspected of stealing catalytic converters.
The suspects – John A. Goodwin, Jr., 19, and Don G. Hudson, 18 – were each arraigned Tuesday before Oak Park 45B District Judge David Gubow on two felony counts of larceny from auto.

The man called Oak Park police about 3:15 a.m. Monday when the sound of a car alarm woke him at the Northgate Apartment complex, police said.

“The caller looked out his window and heard people talking in the parking lot,” said Oak Park Public Safety Lt. Samantha Kretzschmar. “He saw one suspect standing beside a Chevy Cavalier and a second one underneath the car.”

The Oak Park man saw the car was jacked up. The suspects lowered the car and threw a catalytic converter in the back of a white Buick they were driving, police said.

“At that point the Oak Park guy called police and he got the license plate number of the suspects’ vehicle,” Kretzschmar said.

The suspects are also believed to have stolen a catalytic converter from a second Chevy Cavalier in the parking lot, police said.

Oak Park officers headed to the apartment complex near I-696 and Greenfield moments after the man called police. However, the suspects fled in their vehicle as the man was talking to police, Kretzschmar said.

Oak Park police put out a bulletin to other departments with a vehicle description and license number.
Southfield police later spotted the suspects in the parking lot of the Silver Oaks apartments in the area of 10 Mile and Telegraph.

The suspects were near a car, police said.

“Apparently they were getting ready to go to work on another vehicle,” Kretzschmar said.

Police shined a light on the two teens. One of them ran but was later caught, police said.

Police said they found six stolen catalytic converters inside the Buick the suspects were traveling in, along with a car jack, portable power saw and saw blades.

Thieves typically steal catalytic converters because the anti-pollution devices contain small amounts of valuable metals such as platinum, rhodium or palladium. The stolen converters are usually sold to scrap metal dealers.

Goodwin is jailed on $15,000 cash bond and Hudson is being held on $25,000 cash bond.

Each of the two counts against them is punishable by up to four years in prison.

The suspects are scheduled for a pre-exam conference in Oak Park District Court at 1 p.m. Nov. 5.